Chris Waters: Reuben the latest to blaze a trail from Headingley to Lord’s

Headingley cricket ground in Leeds

Published:06:47Saturday 07 May 2016

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IT is commonly held that a strong Yorkshire is a strong England, and now the ties have been strengthened further.

On Monday, Danny Reuben leaves his role as Yorkshire’s head of media and marketing to join the England and Wales Cricket Board as head of team communications.

As such, he will travel with the full England side, home and away, and be responsible for organising press conferences, interviews, and so on.

He replaces Rhian Evans, who resigned after four years in the post.

Reuben, 41, is the latest to make the journey from Headingley to Lord’s. He follows in the footsteps of former Yorkshire chairman Colin Graves, who is now ECB chairman, and former second team coach Paul Farbrace, who is England head coach Trevor Bayliss’s assistant.

Had Jason Gillespie got Bayliss’s job last year, Yorkshire would have practically taken over the governing body.

As it is, their staff have been increasingly recognised at international level, with the club also supplying more cricketers to England than any other.

That England have so many Yorkshire players will be a benefit to Reuben, who knows them well having worked with them closely for several years.

An affable character and a fine professional, he is liked and respected by players and press, and he also has a good relationship with Graves, who appreciates the job he has done at Yorkshire.

Since Reuben joined the club, Yorkshire have become even better at media relations.

There is a policy of openness and co-operation among players and coaches, and the club have increasingly understood the importance of promoting themselves and promoting the game, both in Yorkshire and beyond.

That culture of openness has grown even more pronounced at England level, where Bayliss and director of cricket Andrew Strauss have created a more relaxed environment than existed previously under Andy Flower.

It is a culture that seems to have permeated the team’s cricket too, with England playing in a much more open and positive style.